Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card Benefits

If you're looking for a travel credit card that will get you free flights and discounts, you'll want to consider the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®.

The best credit cards offer high-value rewards and relevant perks, and that's what you get with an American Airlines credit card. In fact, thanks to the Citi AAdvantage® card's benefits, you'll get that and more. Loyal flyers with the airline will see the most benefits, but even if you fly American Airlines only casually, it pays to have a Citi AAdvantage® card.

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is for people with good credit who like to travel. It charges a $99 annual fee (waived in the first year), but if you fly American Airlines a few times per year, you'll likely be able to recoup that. Two Citi alternatives to consider if you want to earn American Airlines points:

• With a $595 annual fee, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® comes with VIP perks.
• The American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card has no annual fee, though it offers more modest rewards.

Read on to see if the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®'s benefits are right for you.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® benefits

If you want to accumulate American Airlines miles quickly, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is the way to go. You'll earn miles on purchases thanks to the card's benefits. On top of that, you'll get double miles on certain purchases. Like many of the best travel rewards cards, this one also offers a very generous sign-up bonus.

Sign-up bonus

There are plenty of cards with a sign-up bonus, but the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® has one of the best. Earn 75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $3,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening. However, you won't be eligible for these bonus miles if you've received a sign-up bonus from this card within the last 48 months.

Of all the card benefits, the welcome bonus is one of the best. It's a generous bonus, and the minimum spend requirement should be relatively easy to achieve.

In the past, American Airlines offered award bookings in two classes: MileSAAver awards and AAnytime awards, with AAnytime awards often costing twice as much as a MileSAAver award for the same flight. But in 2023, American Airlines got rid of the separate category and now offers a single category of Flight Awards.

Rewards

Of all the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® benefits, the rewards on spending are likely the benefit you'll make use of most often. You'll earn American Airlines miles when you purchase something with your Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. A few spending categories will earn you bonus miles so you can stack rewards even faster. Here's how you'll earn:

• 2 miles per $1 on American Airlines purchases
• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants
• 2 miles per $1 at gas stations
• 1 mile per $1 on other eligible purchases.

Some of the best credit cards earn bigger rewards on travel, dining, or gas stations. However, if your goal is to stack American Airlines miles, these Citi AAdvantage® card benefits are helpful.

You'll get double miles on American Airlines flights and American Airlines in-flight purchases. However, rental cars and hotel reservations purchased through American Airlines don't actually count as eligible American Airlines purchases. Buying elite status from American Airlines also won't qualify for double miles either. Fortunately, the double miles on common everyday purchases like gas and dining will have you earning free flights in no time.

Also, you can get a $125 American Airlines flight discount if you spend $20,000 during your card membership year. You will have to renew your card and pay the annual fee for the following year. This flight discount comes in the form of a certificate that expires one year after it's issued.

American Airlines flight benefits

Citi AAdvantage® card benefits don't only help you earn miles. They also save you money on American Airlines flights. Frequent flyers will enjoy one free checked bag, preferred boarding, and inflight discounts.

First checked bag free

With the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, you and up to four travel companions will get one free checked bag on domestic flights. Your companions must be on your reservation. If you don't have elite status and tend to check a bag, this is one of the best Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® benefits. It's enough to completely offset the card's annual fee after one to two round-trip flights.

American Airlines charges $30 for your first checked bag on domestic flights. So this benefit will save you $60 on a round-trip flight if you're traveling solo. If you're traveling with companions, the savings will grow up to $300. Unfortunately, this card doesn't get you any checked bag benefits on international flights.

Preferred boarding

Another Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® benefit is preferred boarding. That means you and up to four companions traveling on your same reservation will be given the designation of boarding Group 5 on your flight ticket. In Group 5, you're called to board directly after Priority boarding but before regular economy boarding, meaning better access to overhead bin space.

25% savings on inflight benefits

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, you also get American Airlines purchase benefits. Every time you make an eligible purchase on an American Airlines flight with your Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, you'll get a 25% discount. This includes food and beverage purchases, but not wireless internet. The benefit only applies to domestic flights and shows up as a statement credit. If you fly often and tend to buy drinks, meals, or both on your flights, this benefit can save you a decent amount of money.

If you want to stack rewards even faster, other Citi cards pair well with a Citi AAdvantage® card. For example, the Citi ThankYou Rewards program earns points you can redeem for travel. The best part is you can also transfer ThankYou points to a long list of airline partners.

Cards like the Citi Rewards+® Card and Citi Premier® Card earn these ThankYou points. Here are the details:

It's hard to deny the value of an American Airlines credit card. If you enjoy flying with this airline and want to earn some premium perks, check out the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® benefits and all it has to offer.

Related reads

Check out more details about Citi credit cards::

• Best Citi Credit Cards
• A Guide to Citi Prestige Benefits
• Citi Secured Mastercard Review